This Week's Message

“Unexpected Visitors”

Matthew 2:1-12

Christmas is a time when something unexpected is bound to happen.

· Someone will stop by to visit, just as you are heading out the door

· Someone will bring you a gift that you weren’t expecting, and you are embarrassed because you have nothing to give them in exchange.

· An unexpected family member shows up to Christmas dinner

· Two people buy the same gift for the same person

· A child proclaims a family secret rather than their lines at the Sunday School program.

Christmas can be a time of surprises.

The Christmas story is filled with surprises: The pregnancy of a Virgin, the birth in Bethlehem (since Mary and Joseph were from Nazareth); the visit of the Shepherds and their story of angels; and the visit of the Magi from the East to this poor couple. This morning we are going to look at this unexpected visit of the Magi.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE MAGI

What we think we know. Most of our education about the Magi comes from the Christmas carol: “We three kings”. We affirm in the song that there were three men. Actually, the Bible doesn’t tell us how many visitors from the East came to see Jesus. Since there were three gifts it is assumed that there must have been three Kings.

Suppose I reported to you that for Christmas I received: jeans, dress clothes and reading material. Would you automatically conclude that I had received gifts from just three people? You shouldn’t. It’s quite possible that I received gifts from many people, (afterall, I’m a likeable guy!). I may have received a couple of gifts of a pair of jeans. Perhaps there was a gift of a shirt; a gift of a tie; a couple of gifts of dress pants. I may have received several different books from several different people. The fact that Jesus received gold, frankincense and myrrh may only summarize the kinds of gifts he received.

Actually, there may have been many more people than the three Kings we see on our Christmas card. The Bible seems to indicate the all of Jerusalem knew about the visit of the Magi. This may indicate a bigger crowd than three. Travel in those days was not very safe because of the threat of robbers. It would be likely the Magi would travel in a large group for their protection (especially since they were carrying gold, frankincense and myrrh). How large? We won’t guess.

We also sing that these men were Kings. There is nothing in the text in Matthew that leads us to believe they were kings of anything. In fact, most scholars believe they surely were not Kings. Most likely they were wise men or astronomers that perhaps served as counselors to Kings.

We sing that they were Kings from the orient. This is another conclusion without much evidence. We are told they were Magi from the East. Certainly, if they were far enough East they could be from China or India, but that is highly unlikely. It is much more likely that they would have been from the area near Iraq or Iran.

Since we are setting the record straight on the birth in Bethlehem, it appears that the Shepherds and Wise Men did not all gather together in the manger. It appears the Magi came to Bethlehem some time after the birth of the child. We aren’t told when the Magi actually arrived on the scene. It seems likely that it could have been several weeks or months after the birth that the Magi arrived. There are several reasons for this conclusion.

Joseph and Mary were living in a house (2:11);
Jesus is referred to as a child, not an infant (2:11);
In Luke 2:24 we have the record of Mary and Joseph going to Jerusalem for Mary’s purification ceremony that took place 40 days after birth. At the time they made an offering of two pigeons. This was the offering of a poor person. It would be unlikely that they would offer the pigeons after they had just received gold, frankincense, and myrrh!
When Joseph was told to flee to Egypt because Herod was going to try to kill Jesus, Joseph wouldn’t have decided to go to Jerusalem first! The Magi must have come after the trip to Jerusalem.
When Herod tried to kill Jesus, he murdered all the male children two years old and under (2:16); In other words, Herod had reason to believe the child could be as old as two (though I would imagine he may have thought Jesus was several months to a year old and had children killed up to two years old, just to be “safe”.

Finally, in our pursuit of the truth, let me also point out that Jesus was not born in 1 AD. History tells us Herod died in 4 BC. Consequently, Jesus must have been born before Herod died, perhaps around 4-6 BC. The calendar we presently use was put together in 525 AD, in Rome. The monk who developed the calendar figured the wrong date for the birth of Jesus.

WHAT WE ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT THE MAGI

What we actually know is that these men must have been men of some stature and influence since they didn’t seem to have any trouble getting an audience with King Herod. The men were scholarly because they discerned from the star in the sky that a King had been born in Israel.

We know the Magi saw some kind of star in the East and that led them to believe there was a King born in Israel. There are many natural suggestions as to what this star might have been. Some believe is was a convergence of the planets Saturn and Jupiter (which took place in 7 BC.) In 11 BC we know Halley’s comet appeared so some believe the Magi saw a meteor. Still others believe the Magi saw a supernova or the explosion of a star. William Barclay wrote,

In the years 5 to 2 B.C. there was an unusual astronomical phenomenon. In those years, on the first day of the Egyptian month, Mesori, Sirius, the dog star, rose at sunrise, and shone with extraordinary brilliance. Now the name Mesori means the birth of a prince, and to those ancient astrologers such a star would undoubtedly mean the birth of some great king. We cannot tell what star the Magi saw; but it was their profession to watch the heavens, and some heavenly brilliance spoke to them of the entry of a king into the world. ^[1]

All of these are good natural explanations but they fail to explain how this “special star” they saw in the East (actually, the Magi were in the East…the star itself would have been in the west) could appear to the Magi again (surely some time later) as they were leaving Jerusalem. It is seems the Magi had not seen the star for a while since they were “overjoyed” when they saw it again. I don’t know how any of these natural explanation explain how the star led them to the place where Jesus was. It’s important to remember that we don’t have to have a natural explanation for everything. I think this star was super-natural. It was some special manifestation God placed in the Heaven’s for this one purpose – to guide these men to Jesus.

How did these men know they should go to Jerusalem? It is possible these scholars were familiar with Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 24:17,“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” They knew which direction to head, we don’t know why. Maybe the star did guide them to Jerusalem just like God guided the Israelites in the dessert with the pillar of fire.

We know that these men presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They paid homage to the newborn King with extravagant and valuable gifts.

Unfortunately, this is about all we know about the Magi (perhaps more than you cared to know). The question is: Why the Magi? Why did Matthew write down this information? What are we supposed to learn?

WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO LEARN?

First, we learn that the birth of Jesus was part of God’s plan. Matthew shows us that even though Jesus was known as one who came from Nazareth, He was actually born in Bethlehem, fulfilling the prophecy of the prophet Micah.

Someone has written that is only takes five points of identification to single a person out from the rest of the world. If you write USA on an envelope you have distinguished the person from 200 different nations. If you write down a state, such as Illinois, you narrow the search even further. If you select a town, such as “LaHarpe” you go further. If you put down a street address you narrow it down to a particular house. When you write down a person’s name it identifies the specific person in that house.

Five points of identification is all that is needed! Matthew has already given us three points of identification: The Messiah would be a descendent of David in the kingly line, he would have a miraculous birth by a virgin, and he would be born in Bethlehem. In the remainder of the Christmas story Matthew shows that it there would be weeping from grief (the murder of the innocents) and that the Messiah would have to come back to Israel from Egypt! How many people do these five prophecies point to?

D. James Kennedy says the Old Testament contains over 2000 prophecies. 333 of those texts deal with the promised Messiah. They contain 456 specific details of his life- 456 specific ways the Messiah could be identified. Jesus fulfilled them all. He is the One all of history was pointing to.

Second, Jesus did not come merely for the Jews. The Magi were non-Jewish worshippers possibly from the remnants of the Persian Empire. Why did God bring these men to see Jesus? I believe He brought them to Bethlehem for the same reason he brought the Shepherds to see Jesus: to show that He is the Savior of all. From the very beginning of His life we see that Jesus was a Savior for the rich and the poor, the distinguished and the despised. It is sad that some say the Christian message is one filled with hate and prejudice. Jesus is the one person who truly sees beyond the stereotypes!

Third, Real Faith Requires Action. It’s interesting that Magi from the east saw a star and traveled what may have been thousands of miles to pay homage to this new King. The scribes and Pharisees, who worked for Herod, knew the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem; yet, they chose to remain in Jerusalem! How difficult would it have been for those men to travel the 6-10 miles to Bethlehem to see if the Messiah they had prayed for all their life had truly arrived?

We should take these words to heart. It is possible to be religiously astute and still be headed to Hell. It is possible to know all the right information about Jesus but still be lost. We are not saved from God’s wrath by what we know, but by whom we trust. We demonstrate whom we trust by our actions.

It is possible that you know the Christmas story. You may very well believe that Jesus is the one who alone can save people from their sin. However, if you have not placed your trust in Christ, if you haven’t really put all your trust in Him, if you are not willing to bet your life and your eternity on Him, you are not part of God’s family.

Let me illustrate. You may say you believe in a certain project or cause. You say you are committed to this project. However, until you actually make a significant investment in the project (through your time or resources), people have a right to question the sincerity of your commitment.

There are many who feel good about Jesus. They love the songs of the faith. They love learning about Jesus in the Bible. They talk about Jesus as a wonderful Savior. But these people have never really taken action. They have not come to Christ with their broken lives and asked Him to make them new. They have never trusted Christ. They talk about Him but they do not follow Him. These people are no different than the men who worked for Herod. They knew the truth but they never acted on it.

Fourth, Jesus deserves our best, rather than our leftovers. I am intrigued by the gifts presented to Christ. These were valuable gifts. Here are men who did not even know Jesus yet they honored Him with the best they had. Their example reminds us that Jesus is the King. He is the ruler over all. He deserves the best we have.

· He should get the best of our energy

· The first priority on our resources

· The first claim on our time

· The dominant position in our hearts and minds

Let’s be honest, there are generally two types of people on our Christmas list. There are those who are very special to us. We spend a lot of time and thought trying to find the right gift. We want our gift to express our love and appreciation. It’s fun to shop for these folks. It’s not about money, it’s about the heart.

There are others on our list however. We tend to buy for these people out of a sense of obligation. For them, most any gift will do. Our primary concern with these people is to not offend them and to fulfill our “obligation”.

So here’s the question: as you look at your life, which list is Jesus on? Are you giving Him your best, or are you just trying to fulfill your obligation and “keep Him off your back”?

Finally, the Christmas Story Presents us with Crucial Questions. I’ve already alluded to these questions. The story of the Magi should cause us to ask: “Am I seeking Christ, or am I merely learning about Him? Am I following Him or merely watching Him? Am I putting all my hope and confidence in Him or am I just playing “church”? Am I more like the Magi or more like the religious men who remained in Jerusalem?”

Please, take some time on these questions. It seems to me that many people, if they were honest, would have to admit that they are merely playing church. They come to worship on Sunday but their relationship with Christ doesn’t go beyond that. He has no influence on the choices they make; the way they do their job; the values they hold dear; the way they invest their time or the service they give. Jesus is proclaimed as Savior and Lord but there is no substance to their relationship.

If that describes you, may I ask a simple question: “Isn’t it time for you to stop pretending?” I encourage you to acknowledge Jesus as your true Lord and Savior? It’s time to decide whether you will trust Him or whether you won’t. If you say you are willing to trust Him, then do so.

· Trust Him to cleanse you from sin

· Trust Him to lead you in the way He wants you to go

· Trust Him to enable you to serve Him and those around you

· Trust Him to get you through the tough times

· Trust Him to lead you through the dark valley of the shadow of death

· Trust Him to provide for your needs

· Trust Him to heal the wounds of your past

· Trust Him to fill the void left by loss

· Trust Him to lead you home

· Trust Him to make you into the person He created you to be

As you know, this last year we experienced the phenomena known as the empty nest. As we prepared to take Rachel to school, as her dad, I worried and I ached. In the days leading up to our trip to St. Ambrose, during the two hour drive, during that difficult ride home and periodically ever since, every time I start churning I ask myself a basic question: “Do I trust Him, or don’t I?” Each time I ask that question I am reminded that my children are in God’s hands and that is the very best place for them to be. I remind myself that if I really trust Him, I will stop worrying.

This Christmas season I ask you that simple question? Do you trust Him, or don’t you?” If you do, then give Him your heartache, give Him your anxiety, give Him your hopes, give Him your heart, and give him your best.

I hope you’ve see that even though we may not know much about the Magi, we know enough to know that we should follow their example, and that we should begin today.

^[1]The Gospel of Matthew : Volume. 2, c1975 The Daily study Bible series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press.